The NBA: Position Battle: The Best Shooting Guards Right Now

Most of the
heavy-hitters like Dwyane Wade, Manu Ginobili, Joe Johnson, and Jamal Crawford
aren’t on this list, but at least the heaviest hitter of ‘em all still reigns
supreme.

5) Jordan Crawford (WAS) - 20.2ppg, 5.4rpg,
5.6apg, 1.0spg, 19.2 EFF

Remember
when he claimed he could be better than a certain other Jordan? He still WON’T
be able to do that, but at least he’s putting up great numbers in the continued
absence of John Wall.

4) OJ Mayo (DAL) – 23.4ppg, 6.0rpg, 4.4apg,
1.6spg, 22.4 EFF

Mayo is
another guy benefitting from the absence of his team’s top player, but, unlike
the Wizards, who are languishing at the very bottom of the East, the Mavs are still
in the thick of the fight out West. Mark
Cuban’s crew would love to have Dirk back ASAP, but as long as Mayo puts up
these stats, Dallas might just keep its head above water.

After a slow
start, Klay Thompson is finally showing why this was supposed to be, and is
slowly shaping up to be, his breakout season. He’s scoring and shooting with
the best the league has to offer, and the Warriors, despite their most recent
loss to Orlando, are really reaping the rewards.

2) James Harden (HOU) - 28.5ppg, 5.8rpg, 5.5apg,
2.5spg, 27.3 EFF

Harden’s
production continues to be strong despite the Rockets losing 3 of their last 5.
They did, however, win back-to-back games against the Wizards and the Celtics to
stop their losing skid. Harden remains to be the top shooting guard outside of
California and an All-Star spot should be in the offing. Anything less would be
travesty.

James Harden slams one on the break as theRockets beat the visiting Celtics.(image by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

1) Kobe Bryant (LAL) - 34.2ppg, 4.8rpg, 4.4apg,
1.8spg, 28.8 EFF

Kobe has really
been doing well of late. Too bad the same can’t be said of his team. When Kobe
puts up these kinds of numbers, the Lakers usually win, but, strangely enough,
even with the best center in the world in the lineup, they just can’t seem to
string up the Ws with any consistency this season. They did win their latest
game, but, heck, that was against Washington. WASHINGTON.

George Hill
registered a triple-double with 15 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds as the
Indiana Pacers posted a 95-85 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday
night. Paul George donated 28 points and six rebounds while Roy Hibbert added
19 points and 14 rebounds for the Pacers, who have won their past two games and
four of six overall. Evan Turner had 22 points and 10 rebounds while Spencer
Hawes gave 18 points for the Sixers, who have lost five of their last seven games.
Thaddeus Young gave 12 points and seven rebounds in the loss. Philadelphia
played the game without guard Jrue Holiday, the team's leading scorer at 18.4
points per game, with a sprained left foot.

Orlando 99, Golden State 85

J.J. Redick
was one of six Magic players in double-figures, scoring a team-high 16 points
as Orlando halted Golden State's five-game winning streak with a 99-85 victory.
Redick knocked down 4-of-7 from 3-point range in helping the Magic to their
second victory of the season over Golden State. Nikola Vucevic and Jameer
Nelson each recorded double-doubles, with Vucevic tallying 12 points and a
career-high 17 rebounds. Nelson chipped in with 10 points and 11 assists for
Orlando, which snapped a four-game home losing streak. The Warriors have lost
just twice in their last 10 games, both to the Magic. Stephen Curry scored 25
and David Lee put forth 24 points and 15 rebounds, but Golden State got little
help from the rest of the team.

Toronto 95, Dallas 74

Linas Kleiza
drained five 3-pointers en route to a game-high 20 points as the shorthanded
Toronto Raptors pounded the Dallas Mavericks, 95-74, on Friday at Air Canada
Centre. Kleiza shot 7-of-13 from the floor overall and added five rebounds,
while Terrence Ross contributed 18 points for the Raptors, who were without two
key contributors in Andrea Bargnani and Kyle Lowry. Bargnani, the team's second
leading scorer, is out indefinitely due to a ligament tear in his right elbow
and a strained right wrist, while Lowry has a partial tear in his right triceps
muscle. Jose Calderon and DeMar DeRozan added 14 points apiece as the Raptors
snapped a six-game losing streak. Chris Kaman scored a team-high 15 points,
while Brandan Wright went 6-of-6 from the floor for 13 points for Dallas, which
has lost two straight since a three-game winning streak. Former Raptor Vince
Carter shot just 1-of-8 from the field for four points in the setback. Dallas
also shot 0-for-13 from beyond the arc, ending an NBA record streak of 1,108
consecutive games with at least one 3-pointer made dating back to Feb. 27,
1999.

LA Lakers 102, Washington 96

Kobe Bryant
racked up 30 points and got some needed support from Jodie Meeks as the Los
Angeles Lakers stopped a four-game losing streak with a 102-96 decision over
the Washington Wizards at the Verizon Center. Meeks scored a season-high 24
points on 9-of-14 shooting -- including 4-of-7 from 3-point range -- to offset
an off-target night from Bryant and help the Lakers avoid their first five-game
slide since April of 2011. Bryant finished just 9-of-29 from the field and an
ugly 1-of-8 from beyond the arc, but knocked down 11-of-13 free throw attempts
to reach the 30- point mark for the 13th time this season. Los Angeles had been
1-11 when Bryant hit that number thus far in 2012-13. Dwight Howard contributed
a double-double to the win, amassing 12 points and 14 rebounds. Cartier Martin
poured in a season-best 21 points off the bench in the loss, Washington's
fourth in five games.

Kobe Bryant flashes a grin as the Lakers break a 4-game slump bybeating the Washington Wizards.(image by Ned Dishman/Getty Images)

Brooklyn 107, Detroit 105 (2-OT)

Joe Johnson
hit the winning jumper at the buzzer of the second overtime to lift the
Brooklyn Nets to a dramatic 107-105 win over the Detroit Pistons. Johnson
scored 28 points and a physical Gerald Wallace totaled 25 points and 10
rebounds to help the Nets win on a night they got Brook Lopez back in the
lineup. Lopez, who had missed the previous seven games due to a mild sprain of
his surgically repaired right foot, had nine points. Deron Williams, who
sustained a left quadriceps contusion in the first quarter, returned and had 17
points. Brandon Knight scored 22 for the Pistons, who lost their third in a
row.

Milwaukee 90, Cleveland 86

Monta Ellis
scored 20 of his season-high 33 points in the second half, as the Milwaukee
Bucks held off the Cleveland Cavaliers, 90-86, for their fourth straight
victory. Brandon Jennings, who beat the Cavaliers on Nov. 3 with a
buzzer-beating 3- pointer, shot just 5- of-20 from the field for 16 points, but
had eight assists and three of Milwaukee's 16 steals. The Bucks also blocked
seven shots and forced 27 turnovers in beating their Central Division rivals
for the ninth straight time. Kyrie Irving paced Cleveland with 26 points, while
C.J. Miles added 17 in the setback.

Houston 101, Boston 89

James Harden
netted a game-high 21 points to go with five rebounds and five assists as the
Houston Rockets knocked off the Boston Celtics, 101-89, on Friday at Toyota
Center. Greg Smith drained 8-of-9 from the floor for 20 points to go with six
rebounds, while Chandler Parsons added 15 points, nine rebounds and eight
assists for the Rockets, who have won back-to-back games since a three-game
slide. Toney Douglas chipped in with 11 points in the victory. Paul Pierce
dropped in a team-high 18 points with seven rebounds, while Rajon Rondo added
15 points and 13 assists for the Celtics, who were coming off a double-overtime
home win over Dallas on Wednesday. Kevin Garnett and Jason Terry donated 14 and
12 points, respectively, in the setback.

Minnesota 113, New Orleans 102

Nikola
Pekovic scored a season-high 31 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves kept the
Hornets reeling with a 113-102 victory at New Orleans Arena. Pekovic converted
on 14-of-18 from the field to help Minnesota capture its fifth victory in its
last six games. Andrei Kirilenko and Luke Ridnour each notched double-doubles,
with Kirilenko tallying 21 points and 11 rebounds while Ridnour finished with
15 points and 10 assists in the win. Kevin Love totaled 14 points and nine
boards for the T'Wolves, who also received 13 points and eight assists from
Alexey Shved. Rookie Austin Rivers had his best game as a pro, scoring a
career-high 27 points, but the Hornets suffered their sixth straight setback.
Ryan Anderson followed with 20 points and seven boards and Greivis Vasquez
totaled a double- double with 15 points and 17 assists.

Oklahoma City 113, Sacramento 103

Kevin Durant
poured in 31 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder kept on rolling by posting a
113-103 victory over the Sacramento Kings at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Durant
finished a scorching 10- of-14 from the field and 9-of-9 from the foul line to
enable Oklahoma City to remain red-hot as well. The win was the Thunder's 10th
in a row, the franchise's longest streak since moving to Oklahoma City from
Seattle during the 2008-09 season. The result also improved the Thunder to an
NBA-best 19-4, a record surpassed only than the 1993-94 SuperSonics' 20-3 mark
as the best after 23 games in club history. Kevin Martin and Serge Ibaka each
added 18 points for Oklahoma City, with Ibaka pulling down 11 rebounds on the
night. Russell Westbrook also registered a double-double, accumulating 13
points and 13 assists. Isaiah Thomas scored a season-high 26 points on 10-of-13
shooting in the loss, Sacramento's third straight following a string of three
straight wins. Tyreke Evans hit 8-of-12 shots en route to 21 points for the
Kings, who also received 15 points from Jason Thompson.

Phoenix 99, Utah 84

Jared Dudley
totaled a season-high 22 points and Marcin Gortat tallied 12 points and 14
rebounds, as the Phoenix Suns pulled away in the final quarter for a 99-84 win
over the Utah Jazz. Goran Dragic chipped in 17 points, as the Suns, building
off an 82-80 win over Memphis two nights prior, captured back-to-back contests
for the first time since Nov. 21-23. Al Jefferson had 14 points and 11 rebounds
for Utah, which had a four-game winning streak snapped.

Denver 99, Memphis 94

Andre Miller
netted 18 points off the bench, including four big free throws down the
stretch, as the Denver Nuggets held off the Memphis Grizzlies, 99-94, on Friday
night at Pepsi Center. Andre Iguodala led the Nuggets with 20 points, seven
assists and five steals, while Danilo Gallinari chipped in 14 points in the
victory, Denver's second in its last three games. Rudy Gay poured in a
game-high 21 points, but missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer with under 10
seconds remaining to send the Grizzlies to their third straight loss.